With the arrival of Peak Oil, the curtain has closed on Act 1 of the drama Petroleum Man. What will happen in Act 2? Chekhov said, "If there's a gun on the wall at the beginning of the play, by the end it must go off." In the world's nuclear arsenal are many guns on the wall. If life copies art, will there be an Act 3 in which the players, having learned their lesson the hard way, live sustainably? To explore these and other questions... FTW's Act 2 Blog. Read, comment, take heart! Orkin

Monday, June 07, 2010

THIS IS EPOCHAL!

This is Epochal! -- A NY Times OpEd titled "Should This Be the Last Generation"! This is a major turning point in human consciousness. The deep questions are out on the table here. These are the questions simplest to understand once the gravity of our human situation is accepted. And they are the most difficult to answer. This is why CollapseNet has come into existence. We in the Lifeboat Movement are already seeking answers. -- How fitting that this should be printed on the day before CollapseNet launches. -- This is what we really need to be talking about. Because once we have even partial answers to these questions, directions for future action emerge on the map. Until we find the courage to deal with these questions we are mostly just flailing about -- like oil covered birds on the beach, or fish that are suffocating and being poisoned in the Gulf... or humans on the edge of extinction. I have known that Infinite Growth was dead for many years. So have many before me. -- As Bucky Fuller might have said, The Old Paradigm is dead long before the new one becomes apparent and emerges from the unseen to the seen.

Question - why $10/month. Is it possible to make the price $10/month minimum and if others want or feel the need to pay slightly more - it is possible and duly noted. Sharing is good. Like I have no money now and will make it worth my while to pay but what if I get a lot out of it and want to allow more work to be done....etc. etc.....

Interesting thoughts on this oped post from NY Times. I became a parent for the first time three years ago. It was well planned out. This was no accident. Can I claim that I have guaranteed my son anything? Obviously not. However, I can claim that I at least thought about the collapse of post-modern civilization, am part of the lifeboat movement, and am arming my son with the tools necessary to survive. He will be as prepared as anyone else of his generation.

What I really find interesting is that the NY Times had the balls to question whether or not the world is better off with or without humans. Lol. Mother Earth seems to be telling us she wishes that there were at least less of us.

The irony of it all is the role played in this process by the most basic form of life on this planet. The first, most simplest life became that which the most complex life used to follow it down a path of self-destruction.

The bacteria that created the oxygen rich atmosphere that allowed humans to evolve put itself out of business with that oxygen-rich atmosphere. Then it became oil over several millenia. We did not learn from experience that bacteria.We in turn used that oil to create an unsustainable world that could quite possibly put us all out of business too.

But it isn't too late to prevent ourselves from following that path. Onward, towards Collpsenet.

Check it out...as if the oil spill isn't bad enough, we now have TWO natural gas well explosions today, one in WVA, one a little bit ago in Houston:http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100607/us_nm/us_natgas_blast_texas

Epochal? Really? Well I'll tell you, the first thing we need for a new paradigm is get out of that bloody utilitarian mindset of the Peter Singers of this world. That anglosaxon mindset with its usefulness calculus is at the very root of our current problems.

The only thing I have to say is, the man has to make a living. Just wish that it wasn't a living off of people willing to pay 10+ bucks a month for him to say "We're in deep shit.". Goodbye blog and goodbye Mike, was good till it lasted.

I just want to say congratulations to everyone on the launch of Collapsenet, and goodbye to everyone since I won't be joining you there.

I've been psychologically preparing my lifeboat since I read Little Indians about 45 years ago, when as just a child I dreamed of being independent of the stupid whoomaans who inhabited my world.

My lifeboat is ready to sail, I've zero debt, lots of savings, several properties with many gardens and a goodly cache of dry goods to last any interim period of initial chaos.

For those who might wonder what to hoard for the coming events may I suggest what lead to the great "age of exploration" some 600 years ago, which lead to the "discovery" of the Americas and all colonialization of the world by european cultures--spices. They were not used as flavourings but for their anti-biotic/fungal properties in the preservation of food, especially meat. If you have a southasian community near you can find markets which sell large quantities of curries, etc. for really cheap prices. And they last forever.

On a more esoteric note if you what to keep a couple of bottles of fine Bordeaux for special occasions you don't need a wine cellar, just a place where it doesn't get too warm and where any temperature change is slow and gradual (a cooler).

If you are like me you've probably alienated most of your friends and family trying to warn them of what's coming. Be strong, be prepared, and when TSHTF and they come running back to you, welcome them home. There can never be enough forgiveness in the coming times.

Heard Peter Singer speak at my college several years back. I am also of the opinion that the Utilitarian paradigm is completely destructive, boiling everything down to a numbers game.

I remember he was questioned about paying the necessary hospital bills to keep his dying Mom on life support and if he thought it was the right move, knowing that he could save many more lives in impoverished Africa with the money he spent on his Mom. He said, in hindsight, he would give the money to the starving children in Africa and let his Mom die. Utilitarianism turns people into numbers, it only considers the collective good.

@Jesse,Hey, you can't live OFF people who are WILLING to pay a nominal fee to have more features and networking opportunities. Everybody here received for free a 4 year trial run for Collapsenet! Look at it that way. Now launching with better features and the money will allow them to refine and pay the costs to move beyond just a blog.

I'm sorry I won't be joining you on the other side just now - it'll take some time for me to organize my life and finances, but i think you will be glad to know that my experimental garden is doing quite nicely, thank you very much :)

And more important - my deepest gratitude to all you bloggers here - you were there for me, when i needed you most.

I must say I really did not like that article. Not at all. Humans are not psychologically wired for such nonsense, and we're probably better off that way. We would rather beat each other with sticks until those left standing have enough resources to live a better life. And I actually find that more appealing than what was discussed in the article. I cant believe there are 700+ comments to it...

Of course Mike needs some means to keep his bills paid, and the generated money of the new site will allow for a wider variety of things to be accomplished, but somehow I get the feeling that more doors will be closed in terms of dispersion of important collapse knowledge, and the growth of the collapse aware community, than will be opened by the move to a " pay for service " website.

Still I wish the Collapse Net endeavor the best. I myself, like many others I see commenting here who valued this blog and its wide array of shared ideas won't be joining you there, for each of our own various reasons. Perhaps those that don't feel they can be part of the Collapse Net project but still wanted to carry on the conversations they valued here could develop a common free website which could preserve the part of the FTW collective of minds that won't be able to make the move to Collapse Net. Just and idea. Seems to me this could represent a way for this part of the FTW Clan to continue there own discussion on all of these important issues. Something in a similiar format, a free blog with commentary and daily articles list of important developments.

This is not something I suggest meant as some kind of competition with Collapse Net, but is something I see as a means to preserve the part of the FTW community that could find itself dispersed because of this move from free blog to pay for use website.

Good luck, and I have appreciate all of the thoughts the many contributors here at FTW have shared for such a long time :-)

" Down from a cave, next to a stream, listen for the drums. A cyber tribe is gathering to speak our truth about the collapse and the work to be done. Come and join our conversation. The strength of our site is in the comments of those who attend the campfire. "

Maybe some of you can join us there. Goodbye Mike and Jenna and thanks for all of you have done :-)

This NY Oped subject reminds us of the film, "Last of the Mohicans". One of our favorite movies, the one with Daniel Day Lewis and Russel Means.<---a class act.

From us, all the best is felt towards Mr. Mike Ruppert and Jena too. For without their genius and relentless stick-to-it-tiveness all this time, many of us just wouldn't be here anyway. We were drawn to the light.

Without the research and work Michael Ruppert has done, thousands of people who've been enlightened by his speeches, books and films would be completely clueles to the inner mechanics of how our government and the world truely functions. He certainly opened up our eyes and put many things together for us in a language that spoke to our survival instincts. Rubicon was frightening and painful but we are so much better off for it. So much has changed in the way we see everything now. And so many like-minded of all ages and tribes have come together to become part of this "Lifeboat Movement." You could never put a price on what he has given; it's priceless.

It's like the ship's motto from the true story of the Albatross in the film White Squall, "Where We Go One--We Go All!"

Most of us (in this country anyway), spend ten times more in one month on things like Pizza, Coffee drinks and crappy TV programming. Put some support behind the things that'll help this mankind tribe we're a part of evolve and perhaps survive."I see you"All the best to everyone,mrs p & momsreallymad

"Perhaps those that don't feel they can be part of the Collapse Net project but still wanted to carry on the conversations they valued here could develop a common free website which could preserve the part of the FTW collective of minds that won't be able to make the move to Collapse Net."

I sent a comment on a prior post, but losing leadership because of a poor marketing model when YOUR NUMBER ONE purpose is to BUILD A COMMUNITY WHICH WILL GENERATE THE VALUE, is absolutely comical marketing.

I am sure you can handle the honesty. If you sit down and think through this and do a little market research and value-probing with some of the readers you can INVENT a model that works and accounts for different tiers of people a) unemployed b) mainstream people for whom the movie will be their first exposure (the masses) c) people on Wallstreet and in higher economic classes where a subscription to critical content is part of their bread and butter (they pay up to $2000/year for financial blog sites - look at boombustblog.com)

From the outside it looks like you are absolutely dropping the ball right now.

Jena, Thank You for keepin it real and on point all these days. Bravo for all you've done especially for the NYC first responders & cleanup of 911. My father used to say: "Never give in, if you need to get somewhere don't give up; crawl if you have to!"

If you want clear leadership, then you need to ensure the leader, or visionary whatever you wish to call them, has the peace of mind to create solutions and give advice.

I'm a songwriter, and I get paid advances on my work so that I don't have to worry about paying bills. My publisher knows that the more my mind is free of drudge, the better my product.

In my opinion, Mike has more than accomplished his "apprenticeship". In fact, to my understanding, not only has he stayed on the ball and given his advice and knowledge, he has also had incredible hardship dating back years.

I am not critisising the people that find themselves in financial difficulties, especially at this moment in time (it's a strange paradox that those in need of the advice the most cannot afford the advice), but please don't shoot the messenger. Get educated, and contribute without needing money.

We need every skill you can imagine, for example:

Engineers & electricians: some of us are building turbines and solar arrays. Maintaining our houses, vehicles etc.

Plumbers: When my boiler goes pop and I need assistance, what better place to ask for it than contacting a plumber on CollapseNet who can reply for the benefit of everyone.

Gardeners: We all need to grow food. seed advice, buying the right tools (I haven't and mine are falling apart), what to grow and when.

Livestock: Experience with animals? Dogs, chickens, pigs, cats etc? They get ill, need housing etc and a vet can be really expensive. How do I cull my beloved chicken quickly and humanely without a vet? I have no idea, but I bet CollapseNet can help.

IT: We all use PC's, and a member that can give advice on PC's to save another member having to spend 1/2 ounce gold bar getting theirs fixed is invaluable.

Radio/communications: If you know about these, you are needed badly. When phone and web networks start to crumble, radio may be the only way we can all communicate. What do we buy? How do we set up the equipment?

Builders/carpenters: How do I repair a leaky roof? How do I stop damp? Insulate my house to save heat?

Guns: I personally don't agree with using a gun, but if I did, what do I buy? I live in the UK and we have little to no experience of guns. Most of us have never even seen one.

Cooks, bakers, chefs: With what might be basic rations, potatoes, eggs, vegetables, how can we make simple meals that are filling, tasty and palatable to families used to chocolate, burgers and fries.

The only people not needed at CollapseNet are (ironically) people like me. I write songs, no value to anyone in collapse, so I will have to pay. That's fair enough.

Please grasp what CollapseNet is saying... if you can contribute, you have value, and that value is rewarded by access. Think hard about all the things you have to offer, there aren't many skills that won't be needed.

It's time to stop being distracted by peripheral issues, and concentrate on building the lifeboats.

For those that cannot join us, I would be happy to contribute to a "sponsorship" scheme. If you have a skill that is beneficial to the rest of us and can show you are qualified, I would advocate a fund to pay for your Membership.

There is so much scope with this, please don't stop at the first hurdle, between us all we can make this work and be part of the remaining 1 billion. There is the feeling that if you give up, you may not be worth carrying, we will all need strength over the coming years.

I agree with Navid. A tiered pricing model with some free access is something to be considered. The strength and value of the network will be determined by the number of eyeballs. First mover advantage plus greatest traffic might also allow you to monetize the free members. That's my 2 cents of wisdom after launching/IPO of a major website back in the late 90s. Yes, I have been critical of the occasional histrionics and predictions of rapid collapse. I see a slow burn. Still, thank you MCR for your views.

I left comments on two occasions that those with the most need are the ones being barred from accessing Collapsenet. Both were blocked. Now finally the subject is being presented. Why is my opinion less valuable than folks who have never posted before?

cjit has nothing to do with who's writing. you think i can tell the difference between one pseudonym and the next? it has to do with the message as a whole, wording, general impression, context, relationship to other recent messages etc

Demography plus geography equals political destiny. Such is a geopolitical maxim. How, where and when do the geographical lifeboats of the pending Post-Peak Oil collapse bob upon the sea of demographics? Or will they be gingerly guided through the storm by wishful thinking?

Revolution is managed chaos, if not necessarily managed, then prodded, guided, herded. It is the one and only time that true democracy shines. The motivators are, have always been, and will be, hunger and desperation. Timid reformists, libertarians, constitutionalists, anarchists, etc. finger paint soft, feel-good change. Revolutionaries score symphonies and give bloody birth to new methodologies.

The one you rejected and censored is the world's cornerstone. Talk and talk, and earn from your so called predictions, that'a all you want. Deceivers, scribes and pharisees, not so different from the Bushes and all you favourites devils.Is Obama trapped? Nonsense.You can tell the people how money works and all that Federal Reserve conspiracy, but you are not ready to accept the naked truth.Everything is fixed and you can't change it.Septimius Severus,the first "Barrack" emperor of Rome, is BARRACK OBAMA. The Central Banks seigniorage, invented by Severus, is the real background who put Obama in the US presidency: the Treasury and Federeal Reserve controlled by Goldman Sachs money wizards.

"Septimius Severus,the first "Barrack" emperor of Rome, is BARRACK OBAMA. The Central Banks seigniorage, invented by Severus, is the real background who put Obama in the US presidency: the Treasury and Federeal Reserve controlled by Goldman Sachs money wizards."

Proving only that it is Rome's destiny to fall however many times possible before reaching the bottomless pit. I live for the day!

GIM1 was shut down in a jarringly strange fashion 1 week after a combination of CFTC hearings - which revealed the extent of paper vs. physical gold, and a London Bullion Market trader/ whistleblower interviewer.

Those 2 hearings revealed a naked short position in both silver and gold that was and is, to say the least, fascinating (by naked short I mean that JPMorgan and HSBC have contracted to deliver lots of metal that they don't have, though in the past their counter-parties have been willing to accept cash in lieu of metal.)

Anyway, GIM1 was one of the primary venues where that story broke, so it's shut-down one week after the March 25, 2010 CFTC hearings and the Andrew Maguire whistle-blower interview was attention-getting. GIM2 is the attempted replacement for GIM1.

In any case my guess is that some of the bloggers here would like the how-to-grow-food-and-compost-using-redworms type of posts at these forums, even if you don't want to talk about commodities trading trivia.

Most of the forum members at the 3 forums I listed are cognizant of Peak Oil.

I won't be following you guys to the other side, as a few here have also noted--but taking time to align my ducks and inflate my own lifeboat.

But I want to offer my deepest regards and pleasantries on the simplicity and rationality of the this place.

I, was, a teenager stuck in a mindless suburbity, and am now far from that. It's been impossible to relate to the dying paradigm of post-modern society: prom, graduation, girlfriends, and all the other trivialities of the Norman-Rockwellian-American-Teenager-That-Never-Really-Existed-Anyway-Lifestyle seemed so damn hollow for almost two years now, which usually offered nothing far from depression and loss.

But now, the Rubicon is a distant fellow in my rear-view mirror. I've spent my time crafting a new mindset, that is post-everything, and I have Mike, and everyone else that was here to thank.

All I can do is apologize for the times I came close to giving up and gluing myself to a text or computer screen or any other device of the old paradigm as everyone else, it seems, has done. I am alone now, but, as I imagine, won't be for long--all of the little quips and predictions and concerns I've tried to convey are coming true, and my friends are soon to come along.

The second American Revolution has begun, arguably two years ago, but I can honestly say I am eagerly awaiting it: to be on the cusp of renewal--and that is the most optimistic I have ever been in my entire life.

All I can say now is be good, stay loose and loved, and if you're ever in Columbus, Ohio, find your way to the suburbs and follow the live music and street art, and you'll have a friend closer than you thought.

Someone had once, and since then someone again, said "Go West"--and I think I will. I'll hunker down for a time or two, and then pack my bags for, as cliche as it sounds: the great unknown; and craft a new life out of the pieces of the old one.